Also like i said before i own pet store bettas, And dont have a problem with them. But i would not breed them. Also now that i no as much imformation i wont buy a pet store betta, Not because it's a pet store betta but because it give's the bad breeders a reason to keep breeding and open's a spot up on the shelf s so the pet stores look for more bettas to buy to put in a little cup.

And yes also i want to show my fish, And would like to win or have a good chance at it. Plus all the fry i want to sell will be gone as fast as there posted. But with pet store bettas you run into so many problem's trying to do this.

To be honest healthy pet store bettas breed more readily (in my cases) than the more expensive kind. As long as their healthy and taken care of bettas can breed at any age. Pet store bettas are good as first time spawners but there is a problem....not many people are willing to buy them.

I just bred my petstore bettas I would like to move into a nice AB pair someday but I still need experience since this spawn I wasn't very successful. I have people who want my fry though just because they will be home bred and cared for. But someday I want to move into a more serious hobby of it, but for now I think I am too inexperienced to want to bred an expensive pair. Someday....

It is quite easy to obtain a pair for cheap that didn't come from a pet store. Yes you'll have to pay shipping but for the pair itself you can sometimes find really good deals if you take the time to look.

I'm all about responsible breeding and my biggest concern is that pet store bred fish do not find homes as quickly as "pure" bred fish. What happens if you end up with 80 fish and can't find homes? If you take the time to properly do research and buy all of your equipment there is no reason that you can't save up for a nice pair.

Dog breeders don't take mutts and do a "practice litter" with them. They take the time to pick the right breed for them and pick lines they like the best and put all of their effort into making it better.

IMO no one should breed ANYTHING unless it is to make something better. I honestly don't see how breeding veiltails from a pet store is making anything better. Its one thing to have aspirations for a line of veiltails, I can understand that even though they will be unpopular. But breeding just for the sake of experience or practice seems very unethical to me.

Here is something to consider; imagine if the VT were extinct. What genetics would breeders use to make betta fins longer.
Out breeding to wild bettas create short tails like the plakat. Once breeders are satisfied with the color they've come up with, they would introduce other tail types. Look at the HM's, very few have tail as long as their bodies. Nowadays most bettas tails are only half their body length. Look at the new type of double tail, its rather short. To produce longer fins, long finned genes must be introduced ..... the VT.

Still imagine, there are no VTs. LFS will only cup other available tail types..... so problem not solved. VTs (IMO) are as beautiful as other tail types. Further more they are cheaper which is ideal for beginners. Yes, perhaps you may have to use bettas as fish food. But don't you use guppies as betta food? What's the difference?

IMO - responsible is for beginners not experimenting with tail type without certain goals. Beginners should use breeders of the same tail type (whatever type). Then if more experienced, they could experiment and try create new and or better tail type or color.

Quality is merely something that pleases our eyes and heart, thus its very subjective according to the individual judging.

I agree with 1fish2fish, A halfmoon at petco is 13 or 14 dollars, So for a couple more dollars you can have a pretty good fish. Also when you do get rid of them to your friend's and then they try to breed like you there not breeding bettas with a huge mixed up genetic backgroung. They no what genetic's are in the betta and what they will get. And by everyone buying pretty good bettas after so many year's it will be helping the breed the future of the betta. It would put money in the people's pocket's that deserve it. The breeder's that really care about the fish. There's so many bad thing's that out weigh the good in breeding pet store bettas why would people want to. And there is so many good thing's that out weigh the bad in breeding higher class bettas. That i wouldn't even think about breeding pet store bettas.

Also yes pet store bettas will breed and do a ok job. But if you have ever breed a nice pair of show bettas. You would say wow that is night a day the two do not even compare.